This course introduces the dramatic works of William Shakespeare by placing them back in the historical contexts in which they first emerged in Renaissance England. We will survey works from each of the major genres: an early comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream; a history play, Henry V; two tragedies, Hamlet and Macbeth; and a late-career "romance," The Tempest. Throughout, our emphasis will be on the social and political conditions of early playwriting, the economics and geography of the new public theaters, the raw materials of plots and characters, and the remarkable malleability of Shakespeare's language. Evaluation will be based on several short writing assignments and an exam.